Nominations are now invited for the 2015 Energy Efficiency Forum Awards for Cape Town’s commercial sector. The City of Cape Town and its Forum partners, Eskom and the South African Property Owners Association, created this annual Energy Efficiency Forum Award to recognise excellence in energy efficiency interventions and to inspire and encourage businesses to take further action.

In the context of the national electricity supply shortage, rising electricity tariffs and our high carbon footprint, energy efficiency has increasing relevance.

“The cost of load-shedding for business in Cape Town is high, and the Energy Efficiency Forum is one of the ways in which the City supports the commercial sector,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Environmental and Spatial Planning, Councillor Johan van der Merwe.

“The City is doing what it can to make its own operations more efficient. A total of 32 buildings have been retrofitted, and more efficient street and traffic lights have been installed, saving the City over R25m per year so far.”

This will be the fourth year of the Awards, which are given for categories of new and existing commercial buildings and operations – both large and small. Winners over the past few years have shown innovative and consistent improvements, with results of up to 60% savings on electricity use.

Applications will be judged on their implementation of significant energy efficiency interventions, including technological improvements, behaviour change, and establishment of energy management systems which have resulted in substantial reductions in energy consumption and are likely to be sustainable. Adjudication is done by the University of Cape Town’s Energy Research Centre.

The Energy Efficiency Forum was established in 2009 by the City, in collaboration with Eskom and SAPOA. Membership and attendance is free for the owners and managers of commercial buildings and operations.

The next Forum meeting is on 11 August 2015. Growthpoint will present the performance improvements across South Africa’s largest property portfolio that are saving their tenants millions of rands per year.

Makro will explain why their new Cape Gate outlet won the Eskom ETA Awards, and what they have done to retrofit existing stores. Updates will be given by the City, Eskom, the National Business Initiative, and the South African National Energy Development Institute, while BMW will showcase their new i3 electric vehicle.

The Forum will be hosted at the City’s new Electricity Services Department Head Office in Bellville. Tours of this Green-Star SA-rated building and Makro Cape Gate are on offer for limited numbers that day.